Saudi Arabia and South Korea yesterday signed contracts to support their cooperation in developing SMART reactors.

A ceremony was held on 28 August to mark the official opening of South Korea's underground low- and intermediate-level radioactive waste disposal facility at Gyeongju in North Gyeongsang province.

The completion of all commissioning tests and government approval to operate at full power marks the start of commercial operation at unit 2 of Korea's Shin Wolsong nuclear power plant.

Two further nuclear power reactors are to be constructed and plans for four coal-fired plants have been dropped in the latest 15-year basic energy plan released by the South Korean government today.

The first waste has been placed within South Korea's underground low- and intermediate-level radioactive waste disposal facility at Gyeongju in North Gyeongsang province.

Unit 1 of South Korea's Wolsong nuclear power plant restarted yesterday after having been offline since November 2012 when its operating licence expired. A new licence was issued in February.

South Korea's oldest operating reactor unit will close in 2017 without a licence extension, said operator Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power (KHNP).

Nuclear power cooperation between South Korea and the USA has been formalised and extended for another 20 years with the signing of their 123 agreement, which allows South Korea a little more freedom to manage nuclear fuel.

A consortium comprising South Korean construction companies Samsung C&T, Doosan and Hanhwa Construction has been awarded a contract to build units 5 and 6 of the Shin Kori nuclear power plant. Both APR1400 units should be in operation by 2022.

Two Candu operators - Canada's Bruce Power and Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power (KHNP) - have signed a memorandum of understanding to extend their cooperation, particularly in areas related to nuclear safety, operational performance and carrying out large projects such as refurbishment.

South Korea may one day be able to enrich uranium to produce non-weapons grade nuclear fuel under a deal reached with the USA yesterday. The agreement also ensures that the USA will provide South Korea with a stable supply of fuel for its nuclear reactors.

The reactor vessel of Shin Hanul unit 2 has been installed within the reactor building, marking a major step in the construction of the second Korean-designed Advanced Pressurised Reactor-1400 (APR-1400) being built at the site.